Social Studies Teaching Resources
Take your students on a journey through world and US history with thousands of printable cross-curricular social studies worksheets, history teaching slides, anchor charts, Google Slide interactive activities, and thousands more teacher-created resources to turn every child into a tiny historian.
Are you teaching your primary grade students about community helpers and need engaging new materials? Or maybe you're teaching in the upper elementary grades where your students journey through the 13 colonies, the Revolutionary War, Civil War, or other historical events?
No matter the grade, this collection of teaching resources from Teach Starter's teacher team has curriculum-aligned options to help you cut down on the time-consuming task of lesson planning and help your elementary class meet both Common Core and state-level standards.
With editable options for many of the collection's digital and printable teaching resources, save yourself a ton of time with these ready-made social studies lesson plans.
Social Studies Lesson Plan Library
Our library contains thousands of resources designed by teachers for teachers to help you teach your primary level social studies topics, as well as upper elementary and middle school social studies curriculum. Find resources to teach a wide range of social studies topics, including
- Community helper teaching slides, printable community helper worksheets, and community helper crafts that make perfect additions to social studies for 1st grade
- Content-aligned task cards, games, printable maps, and teaching slide decks to teach American history for kids, along with printable Veterans Day Crafts, patriotic coloring sheets, World War II lesson plans PDF resources, and more
- Cross-curricular teaching resources including reading passages on Susan B. Anthony, Henry Ford worksheets, famous historical figure projects, and even anchor charts for social studies
- Printable blank maps of the 13 colonies, United States, continents of the world, and accompanying map skills worksheets
- Sorting activities, Google Interactives, active games, and worksheets covering wants and needs for primary grades
If you're looking for Social Studies games and resources specifically for higher grades, you'll find:
- Materials for teaching an entire Westward Expansion Unit — such as Westward Expansion worksheets, Lewis and Clark slide decks, vocabulary games, and even an Oregon Trail game to help you teach about early America
- Posters, anchor charts, interactive activities, and lesson plans for a unit on women's suffrage — discover female leaders of the time and their contributions to the passing of the 19th Amendment
- Government worksheets, mini books, and activities teaching the Bill of Rights for Kids
- Note taking-templates, worksheets, slide decks, and graphic organizers to uncover the causes of the American Revolution
Our Social Studies worksheet library spans a wide range of topics and social studies curriculum standards that are sure to save you a TON of time and cut back on the research and planning needed for engaging social studies lessons. Make sure you check out our 3rd-grade history, 4th-grade history, 5th-grade history, and 6th-grade history resources as well!
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Goods and Services Sorting Activity
Identify things as either "goods" or "services" by looking at 20 examples and sorting them into their appropriate category.
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Goods and Services Word Search
Stretch your students’ vocabulary and reading skills with this economics-focused word search that features examples of goods and services.
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Inauguration Day Bingo
A bingo game to play around Inauguration Day.
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Pledge to the Texas Flag - Poster
A poster with the words to the Pledge to the Texas Flag.
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Harriet Tubman and Rosa Parks Cut and Sort Worksheet
Compare and contrast the lives of two influential Black History Month figures in this cut-and-sort activity.
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Biography Cube
Research and create an interactive biography for a historical figure.
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Memory Matcher Interactive Game (International Foods Theme)
An interactive match-up activity exploring foods of different cultures.
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The Election Process – Classroom Poster
A poster to display in the classroom when teaching about the election process and voting.
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Map of Japan
A map of Japan featuring the names of the main islands and well-known landmarks.
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Mosaic Poppy Art Activity
Use this creative art activity when commemorating Memorial Day or Veterans Day in the classroom.
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Brilliant, Brave Minds – Comprehension Task
An article and comprehension task celebrating women and Women's History Month.
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First But Not Last – Comprehension Task
An article about historic women paired with a comprehension task.
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Who Is Charity Adams Earley? – Shared Reading and Activity
Read along to learn about soldier & activist Charity Adams Earley with this 13-slide PowerPoint presentation.
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Governments and How They Function – Worksheet
An activity for students to research the government of two economies and write a report to compare and contrast them.
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MLK Character Traits Graphic Organizer
Use our graphic organizer with your students when studying Martin Luther King, Jr.’s notable mental and moral qualities.
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Needs vs. Wants Activity
An activity to brainstorm and sort needs and wants.
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Latitude and Longitude Banners
Latitude and longitude banners to display in the classroom when studying geography.
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MLK Cut and Color Worksheet
Celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. and the ideals he fought for with this cut and color MLK worksheet for early elementary students.
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Martin Luther King, Jr. - Comprehension Task
Apply a range of reading comprehension strategies to learn about Martin Luther King, Jr.
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Chinese New Year - Rat Puppet Template
A fun template for students to make their own rat puppet.
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Timeline Display and Activity
Use this timeline display in a variety of ways in the classroom.
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MLK Day Crossword
Identify and write vocabulary words relating to civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. in our MLK crossword puzzle.
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All About My Culture - Paper Fortune Teller
A paper fortune teller template for students to learn about the different cultures in their classroom.
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Martin Luther King, Jr. Timeline
Craft an illustrated timeline for students to visually explore the major events in Martin Luther King, Jr.'s life.
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Economic Development in Countries Around the World – Worksheet
A worksheet for students to research different economies around the world.
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Economic Interdependence – Comprehension Task
A comprehension task paired with a text about economic interdependence.
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A New Beginning – Island Economy Activity
An activity where students work together to create an economy on a deserted island.
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Money – Word Wall Template
A set of money-themed word wall cards.
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Valentines Around the World – Comprehension Worksheet
Explore five global Valentine’s Day traditions with this informational text and comprehension questions activity.
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Year of the Ox – String Puppet Craft Template
A Lunar New Year-themed ‘Year of the Ox’ string puppet template.
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Year of the Ox – Paper Lantern Craft
A Year of the Ox craft activity to help celebrate Lunar New Year!
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Who Is Harriet Tubman? – Shared Reading and Activity
Learn about Harriet Tubman and her work in the abolitionist movement with this 15-slide read-along PowerPoint presentation.
- Social Studies Worksheets
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- Social Studies Games
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- Social Studies for Kindergarten
- Social Studies for 1st Grade
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- Social Studies for 7th Grade